August 21, 2026

Dear Charger Families,

Ms. Field and I welcome you all to the 2026-2027 school year! We we so happy to meet many families at Principal's coffee. This first week of school was full of energy, smiling faces, excitement of meeting new people, and building relationships and community in classrooms! We enjoyed visiting every classroom and seeing students engaged and excited to learn!

This week, Ms. Field and I reviewed our PBIS Charger Pride Expectations with all students about being Safe, Respectful, and Responsible. We read The Circles All Around Us by Brad Montague to the students and learned about growing our Cherry Chase circle and how to keep everyone safe, treat people with kindness, and making choices that help our school community. Cherry Chase Charger Pride Assembly 26-27

Reminder for K-3 Friday Early Dismissal: When picking up your K-3 student at 12:45pm on Fridays, please remember that our 4th and 5th grade students are still in class. Please pick up your child and then immediately exit campus. There is also an active PE class occurring on the blacktop during this time, so please be mindful of this and walk around the blacktop area. Thank you for understanding!

The NWEA Math and ELA Benchmark testing window for students in grades 1–5 is August 20–September 4. These assessments provide teachers with a beginning-of-year snapshot of what students know and are ready to learn, helping guide instruction and set goals for growth throughout the year. Family reports will be sent home by your child’s teacher after September 4. You can learn more about NWEA and how to understand the family report.

Explaining NWEA MAP Scores

Explaining the NWEA Parent Report

Amplify Boost Reading - 1st through 5th grade students will complete a Boost Reading beginning-of-year assessment between August 20 and September 4 (Kinder will be at a later time). This short assessment helps identify each student’s current literacy skills and creates an adaptive, personalized learning path that reinforces the explicit literacy instruction students receive in class daily. Students will use Boost for about 30 minutes per week during class. Headphones with microphones will be provided, or students may bring their own. Families will have an opportunity to learn more about Boost and the Amplify literacy curriculum at our next Principal’s Coffee on September 25th.

We will have our first School Site Council Meeting on Tuesday, September 1st from 3-4pm. Prior to this meeting, we will be looking to elect parents for the 2026-2027 school year. Cherry Chase SSC has a total of 5 parent seats and we are looking for parents who are interested in serving as an elected member. There will be between 5-7 meetings during the school year, typically on a Tuesday from 3-4pm Please consider nominating yourself or another parent and reach out if you have any questions.

If you are interested in serving or would like to nominate another parent, please complete the SSC Parent Nomination Form by end of day Tuesday, August 25th.

Warm Regards,

Ms. Crawford

Reminder: Daily Belongings & Item Drop-Offs

Please ensure your child arrives each morning with everything they need for the day (lunch, water bottle, jacket, homework, etc.). To minimize classroom disruptions, office staff cannot deliver forgotten items to students during school hours.

If you must drop off a forgotten item:

• Use the Drop-Off Cart: We have a cart our office staff will put the items for your child to pick up.

• Remind Your Child: Instruct your child to check the cart during breaks or lunch (outside of the office hallway door).

• Teacher Notification: You may email the teacher as a heads-up, but please note they may not see messages while instructing.

Help us start each day safely and smoothly!

• Gates open at 8:00 a.m. Please enter through the designated gates shown on the arrival map.
• Use designated crosswalks, follow all traffic laws, keep driveways clear, and be respectful of our neighbors.
• Walk bikes and scooters once students enter campus and secure them at the bike racks for the school day.
• When the bell rings, students freeze, wait for the signal, and then walk to their line-up locations, where teachers will meet them and escort them to class.

• TK is the only grade where families walk students directly to the classroom door.
• Students arriving by school bus will be met and supervised by a staff member.
• After drop-off, families should exit campus promptly. Gates will be locked at 8:15 a.m.
• Any student arriving after 8:15 a.m. must go to the office to get a tardy slip before going to their classroom.
• For campus safety, all adults entering campus after 8:15 a.m. must check in at the front office.

Thank you for helping us keep arrival safe, calm, and ready for learning!

Bell Schedule

Here is the link to the CCE 2026-2027 Bell Schedule. Some key information about the Bell Schedule to keep in mind is listed below:

• For the first weeks of school, TK is in session Monday through Friday from 8:15 to 11:35 a.m. Students will be dismissed at 11:35 am
• Beginning on Tuesday, September 9, 2026, TK will transition to a full-day schedule Monday through Thursday from 8:15 a.m. to 2:25 p.m.
• Kindergarten begins full-day classes from the very first day: Kindergarten students will start in full-day classes on Monday, August 17, 2026 and is dismissed at 2:25pm.
• On Fridays, TK through 3rd Grade will be dismissed at 12:45 pm.
• On Teacher Learning Days (TLD), ALL students are dismissed at 12:45 pm.
• During Conference Week (October 5-19), ALL students are dismissed at 11:35 am.
• SESD Academic Calendar 2026-2027

• TK — Recess 11:10–11:30 | Lunch 11:30–11:50
• K–2 — Recess 11:35–11:55 | Lunch 11:55–12:15
• 3–5 — Recess 12:00–12:20 | Lunch 12:20–12:40

Pick up:

We welcome parents to drop off and pick up students at their classrooms on campus.

Here are a few reminders:

• For pickup, the gates will open a few minutes before the bell rings and will be closed from 2:45 pm. to 4:00 pm.
• After 4:00 pm., the school grounds will be open to the public as a park and community will have access.

Please review the map posted above for a visual of these areas.

Attendance:

• School begins promptly at 8:15am
• If students are not in class by 8:15am, they must report to the front office to receive a tardy slip

Student Breakfast & Lunch

Student breakfast and lunch continues to be provided for free for all students this school year.

The menus can be found linked here once they have been set for this month - School Breakfast & Lunch Menu.

Universal Benefits Application

We do ask that all families please fill out the state’s income eligibility application which greatly helps our school’s funding. The data from this form call support our school in qualifying for discounted or free admission on field trips, transportation, and more! This additional funding can allow our students to experience more opportunities for enrichment. Families may also qualify for benefits such as SUN Bucks, reduced activity fees, and discounted college application fees. You can read more in the flyers linked below and submit your application using the QR code or the following link: https://linqconnect.com/public/universal-benefits-application/new

Parent Square

We use this free app to communicate with families. You can see whole school updates, district updated, as well as classroom specific updates. Please download the app for free in the App Store or Google Play Store.

When you login, you can update your notification preferences in your Settings.

Calendar of Events

Here is the link to the public Cherry Chase Elementary Google Calendar. We want to highlight some important dates and upcoming events over then next 2 weeks to ensure a smooth transition for our students. Please take the time to review the information listed below:

August

27 - Fire Drill at 10:30 am

27 - District Board Meeting at 6:00 pm

28 - No Friday Flag Assembly

September

1 - School Site Council (SSC) Meeting #1 3:00 - 4:00 pm (please see section above about School Site Council needs)

4 - First Friday Flag Assembly at 8:20 am

7- Labor Day- No School

8 - Teacher Learning Day (TLD) - K-5 Dismissal at 12:45 pm

9 - First Full day of TK (2:25pm dismissal)

Back to School Night - September 9th

5:15-6:00 pm Grades TK-2

6:05-6:25 pm General Session (all grades)

6:30-7:15 pm Grades 3-5

Volunteers are an essential part of our school community! If you plan to volunteer, please review the updated process

To be a volunteer, you must complete an online volunteer application located at the bottom of the linked page below. If all the requirements have been met, the Human Resources Department will notify the school site that the volunteer is cleared to begin services. Approval may take up to three (3) weeks. Before you can begin volunteering, you must complete all volunteer requirements.

Thank you in advance for your commitment and time to volunteering at Cherry Chase Elementary or other Sunnyvale School District schools.

To learn more about the upcoming events from Cherry Chase PTA, be sure to check out their website and JOIN as a member to get regular communication and be a part of supporting the Cherry Chase students and community.

Cherry Chase PTA Website

Add the Cherry Chase PTA Google Calendar

Information about the YMCA after school program can be found here:
YMCA After School @ Cherry Chase 2026-2027